Ongoing research led by Larkin Powell, professor of conservation biology and animal ecology and director of the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, was featured in a Nov. 18 Harvest Public Media story on how drought is impacting wildlife.
Each summer since 2005, Powell has taken a group of Husker undergraduates to a pond near Keystone, Nebraska, to collect data on painted turtles.
In 2023, Powell and his students published two papers based on that data, finding that during dry years, the turtles grew more slowly. Drought conditions also seemed to lower survival rates and throw off the female-to-male ratio. Learn more about the research.
The papers have been Powell’s most-requested research studies in the last few years, Harvest Public Media reported. While the painted turtle population is stable and not existentially threatened by drought, Powell said the findings could be applied to other endangered species that might need help as they deal with the consequences of climate change.
“Now that droughts are becoming more frequent and more intense, there’s going to be some changes,” he said. “We have to account for that as we think about the future for species of conservation concern.”
The news story aired on High Plains Public Radio, Kansas Public Radio, KCUR (Kansas City, Missouri), KWMU (St. Louis) and Nebraska Public Media.
Nebraska Headliners highlights Husker faculty and staff featured in major news outlets. If you see a possible Nebraska Headliner, submit the story or URL via email to nebraskatoday@unl.edu.
